Flying target



(No Model.)

F. EBB, Jr. FLYING TARGET.

Patented Jan, 18, 1887.

WI TJV' ESSES litre STATES FRED EBB, JR, OF LAFAYETTE, INDIANA.

FLYING TARGET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 356,354, dated January 18, 1887. Application filed Decenilrr 8, I886. Serial No. 220,956. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED ERB, J r., of Lafayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial Birds or Targets; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a front view of my improved bird or target; Fig. 2, a vertical sectional view of the same; and Fig. 3, adetached view of the backing or portion supporting the brittle portion of the bird or target, showing the aperture for the insertion of the feathers.

This invention relates to certain improvements in artificial birds or flying targets for trap or practice shooting; and it has for its objects to so construct the bird or target that a portion will be so brittle or fragile as to break readily when struck by the shot and.

disseminate a charge of feathers, and the other portion of such strength as to support and brace the brittle portion in such manner as to stand the necessary handling attendant upon packing and transportation, and to withstand wet weather and the strain to which it is subjected when ejected from the trap.

My invention further has for its objects to providefor inserting the feathers to be disseminated upon the breaking of the bird, and compressing such feathers so as to offer no obstruction to the flight of the bird or target, as more fully hereinafter explained.

The letter A indicates a concavo-convex disk, of suitable brittle material, having a flange, a, at its base, which is to be seated upon and secured to the face of a flat disk, B, made of suitable material possessing the required degree of strength and toughness to support and brace the brittle concavo-convex disk against ordinary strain of handling and transportation, and at the same time to permit said disk to be readily shattered by the shot when projected upon its face by the projectile force of the explosion from a gun.

The disk B may be made of any suitable material; but for lightness and economy pasteboard is preferable, and in order to enable the disk to withstand wet weather and strengthen it against the strain attendant upon handling and transportation, a facing of wood or other bracing material is connected to a portion of its inner face by means of glue or otherwise, as indicated by letter O in the drawings.

At the center of the disk B is formed a triangular or other shaped aperture, D, for the insertion of the feathers into the interior of the completed bird or target, which is covered after the insertion of the feathers by means of a slip of paper, F, secured over the opening by means of glue or other cement.

Theconcavo-convex disk forming the brittle portion of the device may be constructed of any fragible material, but is preferably com- 1 posed of a resinous or pitchy material-such as bitumen or the various solid coal-tar products-and it is molded into proper shape, and

.can be supplied to the market when thus molded and ready to be attached to the supporting-backing, which can be done by softening the flanged edge and pressing it against the face of such backing, or by securing it thereto by means of glue or other cement; or the device may be completed and supplied to the market with the backing attached and the device filled with feathers and sealed, or the aperture may be left open, so that the device may be subsequently filled with feathers and sealed, as may be desired.

It will be seen that as thus constructed the bird or flying target is of such construction as to take an easy flight when passing from the trap, and that no obstructing surfaces project from its face to interferewith its flight, and also that the brittle portion when struck by the shot in every case will be shattered, so as to discharge the feathers and indicate with certainty the accuracy of the shot.

I am well aware that a flying target has been made of a hollow glass sphere filled with feathers or some suitable substance to indicate clearly when the target is struck. I am also aware that a concavo-conveX or dish-shaped target of fragile material has been made which issupplied with a fulminate and provided with a rim of pasteboard, the aperture therein covered by paper. Such devices, as described more particularly in the Letters Patent there for, I disclaim; but

What I do claim is- 1. The within-described dish-shaped flying target, composed of a brittle compound or substance substantially as described, a pasteboard back, and a strenthening-facing secured thereto and extending over a portion of the 5 flange of the target, all as andfor the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, in a flying'target, of a GOIIVOX-GOHGGNO disk of fragile material and a pasteboard backing extending over most of 10 the concave surface and having a small triangular or other shaped opening therein, and also provided with a wooden facing extended over a portion of the flange of the target, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, in a flying target, of a FRED EBB, JR.

\Vitnesses:

ALEXANDER A. RICE,- BENJAMIN F. MAGEE. 

